Dusk fell upon the western hills, and the setting sun was like blood.
Darkness approached as the afterglow gradually weakened.
An uneasy breath enveloped the city walls above and below.
In charge of the south gate's defense were one Great Commander and three Deputy Commanders.
The City Defense Commanders would usually take turns guarding day and night, but on this particular night, they were all going to stand together in the darkness.
"Everyone is already aware, Liu Venerate has been silent for more than a month, and recently within a hundred miles of High Willow City, twelve extremely powerful evil spirits have emerged, exceeding the limits High Willow City can withstand,"
"If they are attracted by the massive life force gathered by the citizens in the city and attack simultaneously, there will be a risk of the city's destruction."
"Inside the city, preparations have already begun. Tonight, a ritual altar will be built using Liu Venerate's Divine Body to transfer the tremendous power of incense from the Temple to the outside of the city, to send away the unwelcome guests."
"The powerful evil spirits within a hundred miles of High Willow City, once affected by the incense, will signify that they will leave beyond the hundred-mile radius afterward."
Zhao Zhou, the Great Commander of the South Gate, was already past his prime, his Qi-Blood declining, yet his gaze remained piercing.
He swept his gaze outward towards the city's exterior, and said in a deep voice, "But aside from those twelve great demons and evils lurking in the darkness, there are countless restless souls and ghosts, as well as many strange creatures."
"They will surely be drawn by the aura of the ritual, converging here!"
"Once they enter the city, they will devour the residents and citizens!"
His tone heavy, he slowly stated, "Therefore, we must repel the evil spirits outside the city!"
With his words settling, he swept his eyes towards the three Deputy Commanders.
The Deputy Commander whom Lin Yan had seen the night before was among them, and he immediately stepped forward.
"All personnel have been called in, including those from the day and night patrols."
"Following past practices, a Liu Branch Night Lamp every thirty steps."
"And, at every thirty-step interval, one person shall be stationed to watch over the Liu Branch Night Lamps, and each team will also assign an additional six people to carry lamps and patrol within their designated areas."
"Furthermore, each person is granted a packet of incense ash from Liu Zun Temple, a pair of incense sticks, and three incense sticks to be lit."
Hearing these words, Zhao Zhou, with a grave look, gave a slight nod of approval.
Yet another Deputy Commander, surnamed Gu, stepped forward with a slight frown and spoke in a low voice, "There may be problems with Linjiang Station."
Zhao Zhou's brows furrowed slightly as he said slowly, "In the past, Linjiang Station was vacant and managed by Qingshan Fang, and everything was stable… I've heard that today, the new Flag Commander has taken over Linjiang Station; why would there still be problems?"
Deputy Commander Gu responded, "This new Flag Commander has abolished the original twelve small flags, and there are no veterans under his command."
"What do you mean?"
Zhao Zhou's face grew even more troubled and said, "Are you telling me that Linjiang Station now only has one Flag Commander?"
"The rest are just chief clerks, scribes, menial workers, and cooks, none of whom are martially trained," Deputy Commander Gu said in a low voice.
Zhao Zhou did not reply, his brow only furrowing tighter.
How can one defend a city all by oneself?
Isn't this a joke?
"It's puzzling what this person's intentions are; he hasn't sought out any help nor made any effort to call for reinforcements."
Deputy Commander Gu replied, "The Outer South Bureau has endorsed all his actions, and just now, this new Flag Commander also accepted the distress signal from our city defense."
Zhao Zhou pondered and said, "I have heard of this man's reputation; he is extremely lethal, but his Cultivation does not seem very high, supposedly just entering the second checkpoint, in the stage of refining blood."
"With his Cultivation, I fear he won't be able to hold the position that Linjiang Station is responsible for."
Speaking to this point, Zhao Zhou's demeanor became solemn, looking outside, seeing the sky grow dim and also suppressing the urge to question further.
He swept his gaze around and said in a stern voice, "The city defense must be flawless, do any of you have spare manpower that can be dispatched?"
The three Deputy Commanders' faces changed, and none answered.
This was no minor task!
This night was bound to be fraught with peril. To send people to help the new Flag Commander was akin to risking lives to fill his gaps.
And if one's own side were to lose manpower, gaps would emerge, making the situation inherently more dangerous.
"You are all still concerned with only your own subordinate matters..."
Zhao Zhou shook his head slightly and said, "You must understand that the overall situation is what matters most. If within the three hundred and sixty steps managed by Linjiang Station, evil spirits were to breach the walls, what use would our valiant defense be?"
The three Deputy Commanders fell silent for a while, until finally Deputy Commander Gu spoke again with a heavy and solemn voice.
"This is the duty of the Linjiang Station."
"If he can defend it, it's his ability."
"If he can't defend it, he should be held accountable."
"The General Flag Envoy of the outer southern district should be held accountable even more!"
As he spoke these words, he raised his head and said aloud, "The City Guard Mansion intends to submit a petition to the Qifeng Prefecture City to remove the Observatory, and this matter can serve as a major reason."
Hearing this, another Deputy Commander also showed a slight change in his expression and said in a low voice, "If so, should there be a mishap at the Linjiang Station tonight, the lives of hundreds would fall upon the Observatory... I suppose the City Defense Commander, far from being angry, would actually be pleased."
Deputy Commander Zhou thought for a moment and said, "Actually, if we do our best, standing firm at our posts, we can also be considered to have fulfilled our duties responsibly."
Zhao Zhou's face turned ashen, and he remained silent.
He was a member of the third batch of city defense soldiers after the construction of High Willow City.
But now, among those in High Willow City, there are very few veterans left from the first four batches.
Even the current person in charge of the City Guard Mansion was not the first City Defense Commander.
The various powers within the city used High Willow City as a chessboard and the citizens as pawns, even sacrificing them when necessary.
In the past, in order to build the city and secure a place for the Human Clan amidst darkness, he had forgotten how many allies had ventured forth and spilled their blood here, one after another.
In just a few decades, before the predecessors had all passed, had the successors already become so corrupt?
"How innocent are the people within the city?"
Zhao Zhou's face showed sorrow, and he grew melancholic. Just as he was about to speak, he heard a voice coming from outside.
A Soldier came to report.
"Half a quarter of an hour ago, Wu Chang, the Flag Commander of the Linjiang Station, took twelve Night Lamps and twelve packs of incense ash, and twelve pairs of incense candles from the storage room, holding the Linjiang banner. Yet, he only took three sticks of the incense."
"Was he alone?"
"Just one person came."
"Did he leave a message? For example, asking for reinforcements from our city defense?"
"No."
"Arrogant!"
Zhao Zhou was furiously enraged and shouted, "If the post he's responsible for is breached tonight, even if he's lucky enough to survive, I won't spare him!"
As his voice fell, he reached into his chest and took out a talisman paper and a willow branch.
"Immediately, hand these to him."
"And tell him, this is the Haoyang talisman from the Wutong Temple, produced by the Qifeng Prefecture City, it can double one's own Yang energy, dispelling symptoms of Yin evil invading the body!"
"As for the willow branch, it is derived from the Divine Body of Liu Venerate God, capable of lashing wandering souls and evil spirits and driving them away."
The three Deputy Commanders, hearing this, showed a slight change in expression.
These two items are only supposed to be equipped by a Great Commander.
On normal days, the three Deputy Commanders would take turns using a branch from the Divine Body of Liu Venerate.
Wandering souls and evil spirits are incorporeal, immune to harm by sword or touch by fist, posing a great threat to any powerful Martial Artist.
Typically, one could only rely on the powerful Qi Mechanism cultivated through martial arts practice to bluff, frightening these wandering entities away.
Items that could threaten "wandering souls and evil spirits" are exceedingly rare.
The branch from Liu Venerate's Divine Body is one such item!
Zhao Zhou, the Great Commander, actually values the other party to such an extent?
Could it be that the new Flag Commander has remained silent and without seeking help, knowing that Zhao Zhou, the Great Commander, would definitely lend him a hand?
The three Deputy Commanders exchanged glances, even beginning to suspect that this new Flag Commander might be the Great Commander's illegitimate son.
But as the deliberations continued, not a moment had passed when the sky had darkened, they heard the same Soldier hastily coming, his two hands delivering the branch from the Divine Body of Liu Venerate and the Haoyang talisman.
Master said, "Great Commander Zhao Zhou, your duty calls, and these two items are for preserving life, please keep them for your own use."
"He also said, you as a pinnacle strength Martial Artist within the city, holding these divine objects, will be able to dispel evil spirits and be far more effective."
"This Haoyang talisman is particularly capable of enhancing Yang and vigorous Qi-Blood. The Great Commander is advanced in age, and will need this item even more during the night."